Visit Nara

Daimonji Okuribi is a fire festival held on the evening of August 15 to honor the spirits of fallen soldiers and pray for peace. As a memorial service is conducted with a mixture of Buddhist and Shinto rituals, an enormous “大,” the Chinese character for “great,” which also represents the universe, is set alight on Mt. Takamado above the city. 108 flames make up the character, representing the traditional number of worldly desires possessed by humans.